Vigilant was Nara
by LazierThanNara
Summary: As Shikamaru faces strong adversaries and dangerous missions, he will realise that he holds more than just mere friendship for his female teammate. ShikamaruxIno


Thanks to those 8 who reviewed my other story seriously and that one who commented on Tobi. -.-|||  
I know I've been gone for a while. . I guess I was just too lazy to do anything. Sorry.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters.

Vigilant was Nara

Shikamaru thought hard. This rogue Rock Nin was a lot tougher than he had expected. Not only did his opponent seem to have an endless amount of chakra, but he had also performed a jutsu that turned his skin into and impregnable layer of stone.

"Great," Shikamaru thought, as he dodged another flurry of kunai, "I've always wanted to die at the hands of a golem."

The Nara quickly jumped behind his opponent and threw two exploding tags attached to kunai at his opponent. The Rock Nin merely smirked as he walked past the explosions, unfazed at the slightest. Shikamaru muttered a curse under his breath as his opponent did a few quick seals and sent a wall of stone flying at him. The Nara quickly jumped into a tree and reanalyzed his surroundings.

There were only a few trees in this mountain pass, and the high sun made his shadows clearly visible and easy to dodge. The opposing ninja had the advantage of already seeing his Kage Mane when he used it to disable the other Rock Nin who was inches away from decapitating Chouji. This Rock Nin also had plenty of stones and soil to hurl at him. Shikamaru, however, was alone, running low on chakra and weapons, and having his stamina slowly drained from dodging various pieces of earth.

Shikamaru sorely wished Chouji was still here as he jumped away from the tree he was crouched on, the same tree that was currently buried under several boulders. He had sent Chouji after Ino, who was chasing a third Rock Nin.

The only advantage he had over his opponent was speed, intelligence, and the ability to jump. The justu that had transformed the Rock Nin seemed to render him incapable of running, and especially jumping. However, every time Shikamaru sent a shadow his way, an earthen wall the size of Konohagakure's own sturdy walls jumped out of the ground, stretching his shadow thin. This opponent was just plain troublesome.

Shikamaru dodged another set kunai and jumped backwards. Only to find his back pressed against a cliff.

"Kuso," he muttered, and earthen walls closed in on him on all sides.

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"Ino!" Chouji screamed as she was stuck by the Rock Nin's shield of earth. Ino crumpled into a boulder several yards away and fell unconscious on the floor.

The Rock Nin twirled his ebon axe and laughed, "Is that all you weak Leaf Nin have, fatty? This is way too easy."

"Bubun Baika no Jutsu!" Chouji roared, sending a giant fist toward his adversary. The Rock Nin quickly blocked the punch with his shield, but the force of Chouji's brute strength pushed him back.

Chouji sent another giant punch at the Rock Nin, but he simply rolled away and charged, axe whistling and it cut through the air. Chouji had not expected this axe ninja to possess such speed, and was only able to dodge part of the lethal attack. Blood spilled from the Akimichi's sleeve, but he ignored the wound and performed his Nikudan Sensa.

As he rolled at the axe wielder, the axe wielder dropped his weapons and performed a few quick seals. The ground in front of him rose into a ramp and Chouji launched into the air. The Rock Nin quickly picked up his weapons and jumped next to the human ball, bashing Chouji in the back, directly towards the ground.

As Chouji hit the ground, the Rock Nin performed several more seals and threw his axe at the cliff Chouji was next to. When the axe hit the cliff, large boulders crumpled and fell, landing on top of the Akimichi.

"Feh…Leaf Ninja…what simpletons." The axe wielder picked up his weapon and walked towards an unconscious Ino. "My, my…look what we have here. Quite the beauty. Too bad her last day has come." He laughed, as he swung the axe towards Ino's fragile form.

Chapter 1 End

Oh fun, I wonder what happens next. Again, thanks to all of you who read (and hopefully review) this story. I appreciate any constructive criticism any of you have to offer, and I hope my brain will function well enough for me to update soon.


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